MARS, Pa. — The Carmody family's basketball weekend in Indiana ended back in Western Pennsylvania around midnight Monday.

By 6:30 that morning, Robby Carmody was back in the gym. A break at the end of Mars Area High School's regular season opened the 6-foot-4 guard's schedule enough to allow for unofficial visits to Purdue and Butler. But the Fighting Planets — get it? Mars? — start the playoffs on Friday, and Carmody wants to make another deep tournament run.

Kentucky's John Calipari has been to Mars recently to see Carmody. So has Syracuse's Jim Boeheim. Louisville, Virginia and Arizona are on his impressive list of offers.

Carmody averages 24.5 points, 12.3 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 4.2 steals while shooting 65 percent from the field .The physical wing said the biggest development in his game has been maturity. Mars, which lost 12 seniors from last seasons' Class AAA runner-up, has surprised with a 16-8 record and the top seed in their upcoming region tournament.

"I've had to kind of jump into the leadership role even as a junior and guide some of the young players along the way," Carmody said.

Carmody was once a promising football receiver and defensive back who gave up football to focus on basketball. That toughness shows up both in how he plays and how has persevered through setbacks.

Mars had only lost twice — to powers Our Lady of Mount Carmel from Maryland and Park School of Buffalo, New York — before Carmody landed on an opposing player's foot in a game against Cleveland's Holy Name. He was diagnosed with a badly sprained right ankle and told he would miss four to six weeks.

"That doesn't work with Robby," said Mars' coach and Robby's father, Rob Carmody.

Immediately after the injury, the younger Carmody set his alarm to go off every hour overnight so he could reapply ice treatment. He went to therapy up to three times a day to accelerate his recovery. After Robby Carmody read online that pineapples helped reduce swelling, he asked his father to stock up on the fruit. He found a local physical therapist who prescribed an infrared laser treatment.

Rob Carmody said his son returned to the court 10 days after the initial injury. A few games after his return, Carmody tweaked the ankle and came to the bench. When his father asked how he felt, Carmody responded that he needed to go back in within 30 seconds or he wouldn't be able to continue.

"I literally said to him, 'Make it count,' because I don't know at halftime if it swells up or tightens up," coach Carmody said. "And he went out there on a personal 16-0 run punctuated by a two-handed tip dunk.

"... He gives us everything he has, and I think that's what's attractive to (colleges) about him."

Camody also missed four games as a sophomore due to a hyperextended knee. As a father and coach, Rob Carmody sees how battling adversity will help his son at the next level. Bumps and bruises are unavoidable in college basketball. How one responds can impact one's development.

According to Robby Carmody, the time on the sideline wasn't wasted, either.

"Both times I've come back a better passer, because you see the floor in a different way not being out there and you see where open guys are during certain plays," Carmody said.

It makes sense that two programs with blue collar reputations are among Carmody's top suitors. Carmody said Purdue has talked to him about filling a Dakota Mathias-like role in their program.

"The atmosphere is different than a lot of places, because of the student section and how involved they are in the games," said Robby Carmody, who also visited for last season's win over Maryland. "They're a lot smarter than a lot of fans when it comes to basketball, and they understand what's going on a lot more. It's so loud in there and there's a lot of times you can't hear the person you're sitting next to."

Carmody fortunately brought a wardrobe that conformed both to Purdue's "blackout" game against Michigan State on Saturday and Butler's "whiteout" against DePaul on Sunday.

"Hinkle Fieldhouse, it's a special place," Robby Carmody said. "You can kind of see that walking in, even if there aren't any fans in there yet."

After Mars' season, Carmody will make his second trip to Italy in as many years with his summer team. He'll play in big Adidas events in Dallas and Atlanta in April. Then, according to the elder Carmody, the family will take May to ponder their options.

In some ways, Carmody's perspective on recruiting hasn't changed much since he was so grateful to receive an offer at Purdue's Elite Camp in August of 2015.

"I still feel very blessed that all of this has been going on," Carmody said. "I just have to keep an open mind with everything coming in and making sure I see the people I want to see before I make decisions on cutting down a list or committing anywhere."